Growing up in the midwest and having relatives in both St. Paul, MN, and Chicago, I've been exposed to the history and lore of the gangsters from the 1930's. Capone, Dillinger, Nelson, the Barkers, etc. all came up from time to time either in school or around the cities on various tours and such. (My mother even bought a couch from a lady who lived in an apartment building that Dillinger had lived in for a time.)
For those reasons, I had been wanted to see the new Johnny Depp movie, Public Enemies, about the last years of John Dillinger's life, for some time. I was not disappointed. At one point in the film Dillinger asks the lead detective in charge of his capture, Melvin Purvis, played by Christian Bale, if he's ever watched anyone die and then goes on to say that its all in the eyes. The director, Michael Mann, seems to take his cues from that same mantra; using many facial close-ups and letting the eyes tell the story, Public Enemies is a histoy lesson and a work of art.
People who need to be reminded that Depp is one of the finest actors alive today and can indeed act without covering himself in make-up and over the top costumes, need to see this movie. Aside from Depp and Bale, Billy Cudrup is fantastic as FBI founder J. Edgar Hoover, and French actress and Oscar winner Marion Cotillard is astounding as Dillinger's girlfriend, Billie Frechette.
I'm glad I added this to my list of movies to see and even more glad I got around to doing it. Add it to your list!
Sergio del Limónar
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